Friday, April 29, 2016

Become a Saint

     “Although we have formed good resolutions in our mind, we always feel handicapped by the weakness of sustained effort, which rebels against the weariness of sustained effort, and seeks to free itself from it, or at least to reduce it to a minimum. Our bodies are subject to fatigue; our minds are disturbed by emotions which are always fluctuating. That which at one moment fills us with enthusiasm may, at the next, become distasteful and annoying to such a point that we think we can no longer endure it. This is our state while on earth and no one can escape it. However, God calls us all to sanctity, and since sanctity requires a continual practice of virtue, He, who never ask the impossible, has provided a remedy for the instability of our nature by giving us the virtue of perseverance, the special object of which is the sustaining of our efforts. Though fickle by nature, we can by the help of grace become steadfast.”                                                                             Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.


     Holiness does not come easily. It is an impossible task to carry out on our own. We often forget our weaknesses and become discouraged when we fail. We think we should be able to accomplish the resolutions we’ve made, and when we don’t, we beat ourselves up. Our pride blinds us, making us believe we should be able to do it with our own strength. We had been doing so well. What happened? We really thought we had finally overcome our weakness, but then the fall!

     “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall” (1Cor 10 vs 12).

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Master of the House

     “Commitment is doing what you said you would do after the feeling you said it in has passed.” St. Camillus



     For those wishing to grow in holiness, I would like to take this quote a little further. Commitment is doing what you know you should do even when, and especially when you don’t feel like it.

     There are times in our lives when doing what we’ve made a commitment to do or to do what we should be doing, is very, very difficult. Now I’m not talking about the times we are physically exhausted and we long for a break, but times of spiritual desolation.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Be the Face of Mercy

     “Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.” St. Peter Chrysologus


     We desire and expect, when we offend someone, that they excuse and shrug off our offense,  if not immediately, at least within a reasonable time: maybe we were under stress, in a bad mood, distracted, tired, not feeling well, just not thinking, or many other excuses that we graciously permit   ourselves.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

God Sees

     “In His hidden life, Jesus wished to descend to the most common things of human existence, to the daily life of a manual worker who supports a family. And so we see Him during almost the whole of His life working day after day, caring for His tools in the small workshop, dealing simply and in a friendly way with the neighbors who came to ask Him to make a table for them or a rafter for a new house, caring for His Mother with great affection. This is how He fulfilled the will of His Father God during those thirty years. When we look at His life, we learn to sanctify our own work, our family, our friendships. Everything that is truly human can be holy, can be a channel for our love of God, because our Lord on assuming our human nature, sanctified it.” Frances Fernandez



     In the day to day living out of our lives, being a Christian makes the way we live our lives radically different from unbelievers. It gives our lives and actions, purpose and value. By fulfilling the duties of our vocation, we grow in grace and holiness. When we offer our day to God, it becomes our gift to Him. It gives us Someone to keep our focus on, as we move throughout our day.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Live Radically

     While they were still speaking about this, He stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. Then He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as He said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, He asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of baked fish; He took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you whole I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are all witnesses of these things.” Luke 24 vs 34 – 48


     For those of us, who first learned about the resurrection of Christ at our mother’s knee, it is a very familiar story. It could therefore, be heard so often we do not experience the impact that this amazing and wonderful act of God should have upon us.